Leggings, Donkey, Moose? And the Brits

Its official.
I think I love to run.
At this point, I can’t go a day without running.
Some times I run twice in one day if I have time.
And you know what?
I’m thinking now it may be in my blood and I just never knew it.
There were definitely warning signs.
Two years ago I went on a early spring walk around Lake Gregory with Steven, Jenny Eric, and baby Jonas in a stroller.
I was wearing leggings.
I always wear leggings.
They are
just so comfortable! It’s worth it to be mocked severely and constantly by good friends when I am this comfortable at all times. 
 We were taking the lakeside trail that wraps around the little alpine lake on the edge of Crestline when we were passed by a jogger… and gasp! He was wearing leggings too! Steven had to remark that maybe someone else on earth besides me was legging obsessed! Yes, he was comparing me to a male jogger.
This could have been one of the nicest things Steven’s ever said to me. I’d like to say in that moment I had an epiphany and realized I was born to run, but it would take me a good two years of legging clad good times to get to the point I am at today.
Today Alicia and I did almost seven miles in Deer Lodge Park.
Our morning was almost boring.
Almost.
I had to meet her over near Lake Arrowhead at eight and I ran out the door and jumped in the car real fast, I was running a little late. I was barely outside a minute, and as I sped across the rim of the mountain on the winding mountain roads on this sunny clear January morning, I thought to myself, wow I’m going to be back home early at ten A.M. Its such a nice day, I should lay out in the sun in my bikini when I get back. I no these are crazy words to mutter for January, but we are in Southern California after all.
Than I looked down at my thermometer and it read twenty eight degrees. Sweet Jesus, I had no idea it was that cold outside! I will not be working on my tan today!
I soon realized that the tan Buick I was following way over the speed limit on the curving highways was my BFF Alicia, and it would appear that we were both running late. I’d just like to note, it’s not at all my fault that I constantly find myself speeding in this area. Last summer the speed limit was dropped from fifty five to forty five here and keep in mind I have been driving this highway daily since I was seventeen. Driving ten miles slower is hard.
Not to mention not as fun.
Alicia and I soon met up at our favorite turnout and started on our run down the mainly empty Highway 173. The highway turns to dirt a few miles a head so it sees little vehicle traffic. This highway will take you down to the Pinnacles Recreation Area and Deep Creek Hot Springs and eventually the high desert. The Pinnacles always look so gorgeous when we run down near there. They are ginormous rock formations that are popular with climbers. I’m dying to go explore that area sometime. We’re planning to do the Hot Springs hike here in a few weeks. Its best in winter, no rattlers, less heat and lets pray to god, very few naked people reeking of sulfur.
We were practically alone on the empty highway, aside from a Range Rover that drove by and a large truck that sped quickly past on the way to the sanitation plant that lies over the ridge.
THAT, is not where you want to run near on a hot day, ew.
We were running back up the road, getting closer to the car when I heard a god awful noise.
   “Did you hear that?” I asked Alicia. We gave each other a look. It was an animal, and it sounded like it was hurt bad.
We could continue hearing this horrible braying sound as we ran back the way we came.
We ran up the road fast. It sounded to me like a moose, which we do not have in this area. Our first thought was that an animal had been hit by a car. I grabbed my mace just in case we ran into any weirdos up ahead or were charged by an angry in pain out of control animal.
On the horizon I saw a beast of a monster.
  “What the hell is that?!” I yelled at Alicia.
Than it charged at us and we slowed WAY down.
I had honestly thought it was a huge black donkey or steer when I saw this massive furball on the horizon, but as it came right at us snarling, I realized it was the largest furriest dog I have ever seen. Luckily there was also a frazzled British lady running after him, along with a pack of a few more dogs.
It soon became clear that the noises we heard were coming from one of the dogs belonging to the British lady in the Range Rover that had passed us.  I guess when she pulled over all the dogs got out .
Alicia and I started walking down the creek bed looking for “Reggie” the Chow with the bad hips.
Suddenly the forest was silent.
We had a bad feeling.
We had a feeling Reggie had just become a coyote snack.
We checked out the creek area, finding nothing and it was weird that even though Reggie’s owner was calling him, the woods were silent. 
Ms Piccadilly Circus ran back to her Range Rover with her herd of dogs, including one frisky little speed racer Yorkie, and Alicia and I were musing on the fate of Reggie, when we heard the British lady shouting on the road above us.
Reggie was completely stuck in a clump of bushes on a hillside.  Little Ms Notting Ham had to literally rip him out of the bush, poor thing, what with the bad hips, he could barely walk!
This story has a happy ending, all the dog’s were fine and Ms Kensington jumped back in her shiny Range Rover with all her expensive dogs in tow and drove out of the forest real fast; I’m sure heading down the mountain to Bloomingdale’s to buy some new Ugg’s that hadn’t been sullied by the mountain mud. What a stressful morning for her; she might have to have her True Religion jeans dry cleaned after all that scampering around the dirty mountain forest!